Virtual game assistant based on artificial intelligence

ABSTRACT

Virtual game dealers based on artificial intelligence are described. In one implementation, an artificial intelligence (AI) engine tracks player attributes and game states of a given electronic game, such as a multiplayer electronic card game hosted by a virtual dealer. The virtual dealer may be embodied as a video, hologram, or robot. The AI engine selects speech and gestures for the virtual dealer based on the game states and player attributes. The player attributes may be retrieved from a player tracking system, from an identifier card carried by the player, and from machine perception of the player in real time. In one implementation, the AI engine determines emotions for the virtual dealer to portray, based on circumstances. Supported by the AI engine, the virtual dealer may personalize dialogue, provide information, and perform card and chip tricks. The AI engine may also animate a virtual player and select interactions between the virtual dealer and the virtual player based on game states and attributes of the human players.

BACKGROUND

Some multiplayer casino games are hosted by a dealer or assistant, andsome are not. A skillful, attractive, and helpful dealer adds a greatdeal to the entertainment experience. When the dealer can appropriatelypersonalize dialogue with a player or a group of players, the playersare better served and entertained, and the casino or gamingestablishment also profits.

Virtual dealers presented on a video display associated with amultiplayer game can seem remote and mechanical. Virtual dealerinteractions are generally prerecorded, directed strictly to the gameaction, and necessarily impersonal. At worst, such virtual dealers mayrepeat the same gesture or phrase too often and seem unrealistic, whileat best, such virtual dealers make themselves conspicuous and are aconstant reminder to players that the dealer is one step down from alive human host.

Live human game hosts are also sometimes ill-equipped to engage inpersonalized interaction with players. A particular human game dealerdoes not have immediate access to facts and history of each player thata player tracking system in a gaming establishment might have. Humanhosts are typically required to rotate often, and it is difficult forhumans to remember names and personal information for an entire segmentof the public that moves through a casino.

What is needed is a virtual game dealer that is realistic, intelligent,and entertaining. Such a virtual game dealer would be better than ahuman host in several significant ways. The virtual game dealer wouldhave access to a database of player characteristics and preferences thata human host does not have. Moreover, such a virtual game dealer wouldbe able to observe and store learned patterns in order to providesophisticated interactions and services.

SUMMARY

Virtual game dealers based on artificial intelligence are described. Inone implementation, an artificial intelligence (AI) engine tracks playerattributes and game states of a given electronic game, such as amultiplayer electronic card game hosted by a virtual dealer. The virtualdealer may be embodied as a video, hologram, or robot. The AI engineselects speech and gestures for the virtual dealer based on the gamestates and player attributes. The player attributes may be retrievedfrom a player tracking system, from an identifier card carried by theplayer, and from machine perception of the player in real time. In oneimplementation, the AI engine determines emotions for the virtual dealerto portray, based on circumstances. Supported by the AI engine, thevirtual dealer may personalize dialogue, provide information, andperform card and chip tricks. The AI engine may also animate a virtualplayer and select interactions between the virtual dealer and thevirtual player based on game states and attributes of the human players.

This summary section is not intended to give a full description ofvirtual game dealers based on artificial intelligence, or to provide alist of features and elements. A detailed description of exampleembodiments of the electronic gaming system follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary electronic game table including avirtual game dealer based on artificial intelligence.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary electronic game table including aholographic virtual game dealer based on artificial intelligence.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an exemplary electronic game table including avirtual player based on artificial intelligence and a virtual gamedealer based on artificial intelligence.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary environment for an artificialintelligence (AI) engine supporting a virtual game dealer.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary virtual dealer framework.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a second exemplary virtual dealerframework.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method of implementing avirtual game dealer based on artificial intelligence.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of artificial intelligence applied to a set ofparticular circumstances in order to select an intelligent reaction fora virtual dealer from among multiple possible reactions.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of exemplary knowledge consisting of relationshipsbetween game states and virtual dealer emotions/affects, to be used bythe AI engine in decision-making.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an example electronic game table layout for usewith a virtual dealer or a virtual player based on artificialintelligence.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of another example electronic game table layout (ofFIG. 1) for use with a virtual dealer or a virtual player based onartificial intelligence.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system for hostinga virtual dealer framework for an electronic game.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Overview

This disclosure describes virtual game dealers that are based onartificial intelligence. In one implementation, as shown in FIG. 1, anelectronic game table 100 keeps a real time inventory of game states andplayer attributes for one player or for multiple players at theelectronic game table 100. The electronic game table 100 then appliesartificial intelligence techniques, e.g., via an artificial intelligence(AI) engine 102 hosted by a computing device 104, to analyze andprioritize a complex of player-game circumstances and to respondappropriately. The electronic game table 100 interacts with the one ormore players by projecting a virtual dealer 106 that responds to andinteracts with players in a player-dealer relationship that aims to besocially appropriate and dynamically responsive in real time. Theelectronic game table platform of FIG. 1 is described in greater detailbelow with respect to FIGS. 10-12.

The virtual dealer 106 (also referred to as a “virtual host”) may be anaudio-video projection on a display screen 108. As shown in FIG. 2, thevirtual dealer 106 may also be a hologram 202 displayed by a hologramprojector 204, typically with accompanying audio. Or the virtual dealer106 may be a robot, manikin, etc. FIG. 3 shows a variation, in which oneor more virtual players 302 (or virtual bystanders) are animated byartificial intelligence instead of or in addition to the virtual dealer106. When both virtual dealer 106 and one or more virtual players 302are used, the virtual dealer 106 and virtual players 302 can alsodiscourse and interact with each other, for informational orentertainment purposes. Virtual players 302 may also be holograms,robots, and so forth.

In one implementation, player information input to the AI engine 102supporting the virtual dealer 106 is retrieved from a player trackingsystem when a player swipes an identity card or a smart card, i.e., theplayer information is previously gathered with respect to an individualplayer. Real time game flow and game state information is also fed tothe AI engine 102. In another implementation, the AI engine 102 alsorelies on perceptual input, i.e., machine vision via cameras 110, andnatural language processing via input from microphones 112 to emulateauthentically human behavior, including emotional reactions. Forexample, FIG. 1 shows a directional microphone 112 assigned to eachplayer, and a set of webcam style cameras 110, one camera 110 assignedto each player.

Rather than presenting the exemplary virtual game dealers 106 describedherein as electronic game tables 100 that display or project a virtualdealer 106, the electronic game table 100, the underlying artificialintelligence 102, and the projected virtual dealer 106 will be referredto collectively herein as “the virtual dealer” 106.

A relatively elementary implementation of the virtual dealer 106 mayengage in appropriately intelligent dialogue with human players while amore sophisticated version of the virtual dealer 106 constitutes anemulated human agent that has learning capability and displays a fullrange of emulated human reactions, gestures, speech, etc. In oneimplementation, the virtual dealer 106 uses custom greetings, e.g.,using surnames or nicknames, cites sport fan affiliations, and may usegeographical monikers and comments specific to a player's region orcountry. Such speech may be a simple as “Hello Joe” to “It's probablyraining in Seattle today, Jane.” The virtual dealer 106 may makepersonal references to a birthday or other events, such as customcelebrations. The virtual dealer 106 may make game-oriented comments,such as “nice hit, Dave”, “great bet, Johnnie” to consoling comments,such as “better luck next time, Peggy”. The virtual dealer 106 can alsoengage in random dialogue from the current game session, from previoussessions of the same game, or previous sessions from differentlocations: “hope you're as lucky here as you were at the MGM.” In oneimplementation, the virtual dealer 106 can add visual emotionalaffectation and associated gestures to the verbal speech. The virtualdealer 106 can also provide additional entertainment functions, such asperforming chip tricks, acting as bartender, and telling stories, etc.

In one implementation, additional information that causes the virtualdealer 106 to speak and act can be entered via a keypad or other playerinterface, such as touch screen display. Likewise, player attributes canbe passed to the virtual dealer 106 from a player reward card, fromsigning up for the card, etc. The players can change a nickname throughthe virtual dealer 106, sign up for a player card, place drink ordersand preferences, call a host to the table, and so forth. The virtualdealer 106 can accomplish most tasks that a human game host can perform,with one-way accessible information from a player attributes databaseintegrated with current or historical game activity.

Exemplary Systems

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary arrangement 400 of the AI engine 102 andassociated inputs and outputs in a game table setting. The AI engine 102considers current stimuli 402, such as identities and attributes of oneor more players, in light of a database of possible responses 404.Through various techniques of machine intelligence, to be describedbelow, the AI engine 102 determines an intelligent reaction 406 to thecurrent stimuli 402. The AI engine 102 may find associations betweendifferent manifestations of the current stimuli 402, and may learnassociations made between stimuli 402 and intelligent reactions 406,which can then be stored as knowledge 408 for future decision-making.The knowledge 408 may also include a memory record of past stimuli 402,which becomes information to consider during future decision-making. Forexample, the AI engine 102 may store a record of a player's verbal inputor a player's user interface input as data to consider when interactingwith that player in the future. Thus, the virtual dealer's interactionswith the player may become more sophisticated over time.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary virtual dealer framework 502 that can beincluded in an electronic game table 100. The virtual dealer framework502 creates a virtual dealer 106 that dialogues and responds in anintelligent manner to a player, based on stored information about theplayer. The exemplary virtual dealer framework 502 is one exampleconfiguration for the sake of description. Other arrangements of thesame or similar components can also be used to make a virtual dealerframework 502.

The virtual dealer framework 502 includes the AI engine 102, a databaseof possible responses 404, including a database of possible virtualdealer gestures 504 and a database of possible speech contents 506; adatabase of knowledge 408, and components that source current stimuli402, components that process output signals that represent intelligentreactions 406. The sources of current stimuli 402 include a database ofplayer attributes 508 that may reside in a player tracking platform 510communicatively coupled to the AI engine 102 via a network 512, such asa local area network or the Internet. The database of player attributes508 may also exist on a smart card 514 used by the player to log-on tothe electronic game table 100 or the local gaming network of a casinoestablishment. Another source of current stimuli 402 for the AI engine102 is the game processor 516 of the electronic game, which passes gamestate information to the AI engine 102. The output of the AI engine 102representing intelligent reactions 406 constitutes a signal for a videoprojection engine 518 and an audio projection engine 520 to executevirtual dealer behavior and speech.

FIG. 6 shows another exemplary virtual dealer framework 602. Theexemplary virtual dealer framework 602 is one example configuration forthe sake of description. Other arrangements of the same or similarcomponents can also be used to make a virtual dealer framework 602. Thevirtual dealer framework 602 includes the AI engine 102, the database ofpossible responses 404, which includes a database of possible virtualdealer gestures 504 and a database of possible speech contents 506; thedatabase of knowledge 408, components that source the current stimuli402, and components to process an output signal representing intelligentreactions 406. In one implementation, the AI engine 102 includes aneural network 604. However, other artificial intelligence techniquesmay be applied within the AI engine 102, as will be discussed furtherbelow.

The current stimuli 402 that is input to the AI engine 102 are collectedand organized at a circumstances inventory engine 606. The circumstancesinventory engine 606 includes at least a game states queue 608 and aplayer attributes queue 610 to collect current game states and playerstates. A queue prioritizer 612 may reorder the contents of the queuesbased on importance of the entries. For example, in one implementationthe queue prioritizer 612 maintains the game states queue 608 and theplayer attributes queue 610 based on temporality, so that the mostrecent events and circumstances are at the tops of the queues, and aredeemed most immediately important.

The circumstances inventory engine 606 collects information about theplayers and about the game. Thus, the circumstances inventory engine 606receives data from the game processor 516, which in turn processesinformation about game flow while executing game instruction code 614and the game rules 616. The circumstances inventory engine 606 canreceive stored player information, e.g., over a network 512, from aplayer tracking platform 510 containing a database of player attributes508.

In one implementation, as shown in FIG. 6, the circumstances inventoryengine 606 gains empirical player information via physical playersensors 618. The player sensors 618 may include cameras 110, microphones112, user interfaces 620, and touch sensors 622. In one implementation,the perceptual information from the player sensors 618 is passed to asensed input interpreter 624, which may include a machine perceptionengine 626 and a natural language processor 628. The sensed inputinterpreter 624 can assign meanings, including symbols, to the rawsensory input of the player sensors. For example, the machine perceptionengine 626 may recognize a player's face or gesture, while the naturallanguage processor 628 may recognize keywords and phrases spoken ortyped by the player.

In one implementation, the sensed input interpreter 624 passesrecognition of meaningful gestures and speech to a social intelligenceengine 630, which may further interpret potentially meaningful gesturesand speech on an even higher level than mere recognition. For example,the social intelligence engine may assign a player intention to arecognized gesture or word. In one implementation, the socialintelligence engine 630 assigns an emotion, when relevant, to a player'sspeech, gesture, or other input, e.g., via a user interface. The socialintelligence engine 630, therefore, may include an emotional stateinterpreter 632 which may rely in part on a human emotions model 634.The meaning and social/emotional implications, if any, of a player'swords and gestures are passed to the player attributes queue 610 of thecircumstances inventory engine 606.

The AI engine 102 uses artificial intelligence to associate game statesand player attributes with possible virtual dealer gestures 504 andspeech content 506. Associations can be saved as knowledge 408, enablingthe AI engine 102 to learn and to create more sophisticated interactionswith a given player over time.

The output of the AI engine 102 is a signal representing intelligentreactions 406 for the virtual dealer 106, to be projected by the virtualdealer projector (projection engine) 636. The virtual dealer projector636 may break the task of generating the virtual dealer 106 into severalcomponents. Thus, the virtual dealer projector 636 may have an emotionengine 638, a speech engine 640, a gesture engine 642, a characterengine 644, and an accessories engine 646. The virtual dealer projector636 also includes a video generator 518 and an audio generator 520. Thevideo generator 518 may include a video synthesizer 648 to animate avideo dealer image or avatar and/or may include stored video segments650 or “clips” that can be executed to generate virtual dealer behavior.Likewise, the audio generator 520 may include an audio synthesizer 652to generate artificial speech and/or may include stored audio segments654 that can be executed to generate virtual dealer speech and sounds.

Overview of Operation of the Exemplary Virtual Dealer Frameworks

The virtual dealer framework 602 may gather visual and audio cues (i.e.,behavioral cues) of a player or multiple players via the player sensors618, including cameras 110 and microphones 112. Multiple players arealso referred to herein as the company around an electronic game table100. The behavioral cues can be gathered by camera 110 and microphone112 in real time to be entered along with other player attributes 610and game states 608 into the AI engine 102 for computing/inferring anappropriate response to the input. When a particular implementation ofthe electronic game table 100 connects to a network 512 and/or theplayer logs on to the game equipment with a smart card 514 or otherplayer identifier, the electronic game table 100 may gain access to arelatively large and frequently updated historical database of playerattributes 508.

Some behavioral cues of a player can be gathered from the manner inwhich the player plays the game and from the player's betting behavior,i.e., the behavioral cues are gathered by looking at the game itself. Itshould be noted from the outset that gathering information about theplayer, including the player's real time game playing behavior is keptstrictly isolated from the execution of the game itself. That is, theprojection of an apt or sympathetic virtual dealer 106 is never used foror against the player with respect to the game flow and its outcome.Rather, the exemplary virtual dealer 106 provides information andentertainment and performs the duties usually attributable to a humandealer in the game at hand.

In one embodiment, the exemplary virtual dealer 106 possesses manyentertaining and attractive characteristics that a human dealer wouldhave, including neutrality to influencing the outcome of the game whilehaving a propensity to side with the players and cheer for them;willingness to render service during interactions with the humanplayers, skill in carrying out dealer functions during the game, aknowledge-base of the game and its rules, a sense of humor, emotionalresponsiveness, style, a feel for when to indulge in familiarity withthe players, a feel for when to withdraw into the background and staysilent, and timing to know when to add levity and when to provideserious information.

In one implementation, behavioral logic of the virtual dealer 106 isdriven by the AI engine 102, which selects a current emotion most likelyto fit current circumstances, to be executed by the emotion engine 638.In one implementation, the virtual dealer establishes currentcircumstances by assessing the state of the game 608. When the game isgoing badly for one or more player, overly cheerful emotions to bedisplayed by the virtual dealer 106 are moderated. A big win triggersenergetic emotions for the virtual dealer 106 to display, i.e., facialaffect and gestures associated with surprise and congratulations. Returnof a long absent player generates a happy mood appearance for executionby the emotion engine 638. In one implementation, the virtual dealerselects a mood or emotion to execute based on an assessment of the gamestate 608, the company of players at the electronic game table 100, andone or more recognized emotions of the players, i.e., by sensing emotionusing computer vision 626 or an audio/speech recognition algorithm, suchas natural language processing 628, or by player input from a userinterface 620.

Similar to the virtual dealer 106 adopting emotions 638 to fitcircumstances 606, the virtual dealer 106 may adopt certain personasbased on the players around the electronic game table 100 and theirplayer attributes 610. When a player orders a drink, for example, thevirtual dealer may adopt the persona and character 644 of a “bartender.”The personas to be executed by the character engine 644 do not alwayshave to be presented visually; a persona may be manifested as only astyle of speaking that is executed by the speech engine 640. Or, thepersona may be accompanied by related visuals to be executed by thegesture engine 642. Example personas and affectations that can beexecuted by the emotion engine 638 include a happy-go-lucky affect, asincere affect, a matter-of-fact affect, a flirtatious affect, etc.

When the projected visuals match the current persona, various stereotypefigures may be selected by the character engine 644 as the virtualdealer 106. Example characters that can be adopted to be the figure ofthe exemplary virtual dealer 106, e.g., suitable for a particularcasino, include a clean-cut Marine figure, a Native American figure, aneighteenth century ship's captain figure, a Las Vegas entertainerfigure, a professional athlete figure, a hunter figure, a firemanfigure, and select famous historical personalities. In oneimplementation, the exemplary character engine 644 can even assign moviestar figures and cartoon characters.

In one implementation, besides being equipped with speech recognitioncapabilities, e.g., via a natural language processor 628, the exemplaryvirtual dealer 106 can also measure the sound level of the players inreal time, and react accordingly. For example, one reaction to a loudsound level is for the exemplary virtual dealer 106 to appear to stop,look, and listen, and in some implementations to actually look andlisten via camera 110 and microphone 112 for verbal and visual inputfrom the players.

When asked, or when circumstances seem appropriate, the exemplaryvirtual dealer 106 may give game tips to a player. For example, wheninput from the game processor 516 indicates that a player's choicesduring a game fall outside of established parameters, this may triggeran advice-giving mode (e.g., asking for a “hit” in Blackjack when theplayer holds cards worth a value of “twenty”). The virtual dealer 106may visually turn in the direction of the player being addressed, andmake hand gestures toward that player. The virtual dealer 106 may givetips when asked, i.e., via a user interface or via speech recognition ofkey words spoken by the player. A dialogue with the player may follow inorder to check or verify the player's request. Likewise, the virtualdealer 106 may state game rules 616 when asked or prompted, or when anattempt at an illegal move or play is made.

In one implementation, the exemplary virtual dealer 106 detects the“body language” of a player and either reacts to the body language withan appropriate verbal or gesture response, or copies/mimics the bodylanguage for entertainment value, i.e., by directly mimicking the bodylanguage, or by subtly falling into a similar body language rhythm asthe player. For example, the virtual dealer 106 may move a virtual bodypart in an attenuated mimic of the player's breathing rhythm,hand-tapping rhythm, or head-nodding rhythm.

In one implementation, a player may select (e.g., via the characterengine 644) not only the character of the virtual dealer 106 but mayalso select via the accessories engine 646 the virtual dealer's attire,inputting selections via a user interface 620 or via microphone 112 andspeech recognition 628. In one implementation, the AI engine 102 causesthe virtual dealer 106 to react to being “dressed” or outfitted by theplayers. For example, a virtual dealer 106 may react with surprise orfeigned disgust at being dressed in cowboy attire and may offer wittyverbal reactions.

In one implementation, the virtual dealer 106 performs chip tricks, cardtricks, etc., (“game-piece tricks”) as suggested by circumstances andexecuted by the gesture engine 642. For example, a player may directlyask the virtual dealer 106 to perform a chip trick. Or the virtualdealer 106 may sense that a player is performing a chip trick andrespond with another virtual chip trick and a verbal response, e.g.,“have you seen this one?” The virtual dealer 106 may also performgame-piece tricks when the virtual dealer 106 appears to be thinking.The virtual dealer 106 may mimic a chip trick or other game-piece trickor movement being executed by a player, especially when the particularimplementation of the electronic game table 100 is outfitted withcameras 110 and machine vision 626 to detect player movements in detail.

In one implementation, the appearance, style, verbal tone, and verbalcontent of the virtual dealer 106 changes depending on how the game orsequence of games progresses, or in reaction to the content of theplayer's conversation. For example, in one scenario the appearance ofthe virtual dealer 106 is initially normal, but morphs into agod-of-thunder character with stormy wind blowing in the background whenthe house loses a threshold number of times in a row. In anotherexample, the virtual dealer changes attire to fit the conversation, forexample, during sports-centered conversation, when the virtual dealerframework 602 senses a threshold number of trigger words (e.g.,“football,” “touchdown”) the virtual dealer 106 may disappear andreappear in a football jersey. This topic-centered awareness can beextended to other subjects, so that when the virtual dealer framework602 senses a threshold number of trigger words, the clothes or artifactsrelated to the topic appear in the displayed visuals.

In one implementation, the virtual dealer 106 has information about eachplayer from the outset, when each player logs on or when the playerinserts an ID card or smart card 514 and the card or an associatednetwork 512 connects to a database of player attributes 508. The virtualdealer 106 accesses the database of player attributes 508, and may greetthe player by name and may even introduce players to each other. Thevirtual dealer 106 may recite interesting stories, news, and anecdotes,based on knowledge of the player attributes. The virtual dealer mayindulge in 3-way conversations with two or more players, or maydiscourse with one player about another player.

In one implementation, the virtual dealer 106 learns to interact witheach player over time. That is, a first encounter with a new player maybegin with very simple and rudimentary interactions. The virtual dealer106 may test the player's desire to be more interactive with the virtualdealer 106. For example, in one implementation each player communicateswith the virtual dealer 106 by addressing the virtual dealer 106 with“Dealer . . . ” or with the virtual dealer's name, as shown at thegaming table 100 or worn on a name tag by the virtual dealer 106. Thevirtual dealer 106 can gauge the player's desire for interaction basedon the number of times the player addresses the dealer 106. The virtualdealer 106 can build a database of player characteristics (e.g., theplayer is known to like a continuous supply of coffee) to be stored asknowledge 408 as a sequence of game rounds progresses. Likewise, thevirtual dealer 106 can build a sophisticated profile of the player to bestored as knowledge 408 over multiple different encounters with theplayer, if the player becomes a “regular.”

The virtual dealer 106 can be made highly sensitive to stimuli. Forexample, in one implementation the virtual dealer 106 stops speakingwhen interrupted by a player, and responds in some favorable manner tothe act of being interrupted, or the content. The virtual dealer 106typically changes the direction of conversation based on theinterruption. An appropriate response as provided by the AI engine 102is placed at the top of the virtual dealer's conversation queue in thespeech engine 640, and the topic being interrupted is ordered second, orfurther down in the queue. When the conversation shifts back to theprevious topic, the virtual dealer 106 may use a common idiom, such as,“now, as I was saying . . . ”

In one implementation, when allowed by the rules of the game and by theregulations of the local legal jurisdiction, the virtual dealer 106 mayhave an autoplay mode in which the player can request that the virtualdealer 106 play in proxy for the player, that is, the electronic gametable 100 selects the next logically best card hand, or selects whichcards to discard out of a hand, etc. This type of virtual dealerbehavior is sometimes forbidden by local regulation. However, many gamesand jurisdictions allow for the best arrangement of a card hand, forexample, to be computed by the electronic game, if the player sochooses. If the player selects an autoplay mode or action, the virtualdealer 106 may make a hand gesture, such as pointing or waving a virtualhand, when each autoplay move is executed.

The virtual dealer framework 602 includes components to generate virtualdealer appearance, speech, and behavior that are based upon artificialintelligence applied to the processing of complex input. The virtualdealer appearance, speech, and behavior are sent to the virtual dealerprojector 636, which can interface with various display modalities. Inone implementation, the display is one or more 2-dimensional videodisplays 108. When multiple display screens 108 are used, the virtualdealer 106 may move between the multiple displays as if the virtualdealer were a real person. In another implementation, the display is aholographic projector 204 that leverages holographic transforminformation to generate a 3-dimensional virtual dealer 202.

In an alternative embodiment, a virtual player 302 is generated insteadof a virtual dealer 106. One or more virtual players 302 provide anentertaining way to attract players to the electronic game table 100,especially when each virtual player is holographic, projected onto aglass surface, or projected as a facial video of the player onto ablank-face manikin.

Example Method

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary method 700 of implementing a virtual gamedealer that is based on artificial intelligence. In the flow diagram,the operations are summarized in individual blocks. The exemplary method700 may be performed by the exemplary virtual dealer frameworks 502 &602.

At block 702, virtual dealer behaviors are stored. That is, variousgesture segments (such as raising a hand, pointing a finger, dealing acard, or nodding “yes”) and various speech segments (such as “yes,”“no,” “pleased to meet you Mr. Smith, or “your strategy really paidoff”) are placed into a data storage structure (e.g., a relationaldatabase, a data tree, a spreadsheet, a table, and so forth) where thebehaviors can be accessed. Each behavioral element may be indexed withmultiple keys, for example the speech behavior “Goodnight!” might beretrieved by multiple different attributes, such as when a player isleaving or as an expression when a player has made a significant win.The stored virtual dealer behaviors need not be a static collection, inone implementation a third party updates databases of possible virtualdealer behaviors while in another implementation the AI engine 102itself grooms the collections of possible virtual dealer speech andgestures.

At block 704, relationships between game/player circumstances andpossible virtual dealer behaviors are stored. Game/player circumstancesdenote game states, player attributes, and player states. For example, avirtual dealer behavior that is appropriate at a beginning state of agame might be different from a virtual dealer behavior that is calledfor at the end of the game. The virtual dealer's revealed card hand isanother example of a game state. Different virtual dealer behaviors andspeech may be appropriate depending on whether the virtual dealer's cardhand is weak or strong.

Player attributes may include those qualities of a player that existoutside the duration of a game, as well as those that can be detectedduring a game. In one implementation, some player attributes arecollected via questionnaire, for example, when the player obtains anidentity card or smart card 514 for playing games at an establishment.Profile attributes may include, for example, the player's attitudetoward game play. The player may indicate that he takes game play veryseriously, takes winning or losing very earnestly, and gets very upsetupon losing significantly. Another player may indicate the game play ismainly a socializing and drinking forum, and winning or losing does nothave a major effect on her mood. These player qualities can becomestored player attributes 508, and provide the AI engine 102 withguidance, conditions, and parameters for selecting appropriate speechand behavior. For example, the AI engine 102 may signal the emotionengine 638 and the character engine 644 to severely curtail levity whenserious/sensitive players are at the electronic game table 100.

Relationships between possible stimuli 402 (the game states, playerattributes, and player states) and intelligent reactions 406(appropriate virtual dealer speech and gestures), that is, the knowledge408, is stored and developed. The stored knowledge 408 of relationshipsbetween input circumstances and selected courses of action can bedeveloped by a third party and periodically updated and/or can belearned and groomed by the AI engine itself 102. The knowledge 408 mayinclude information reflecting the complementary nature of acircumstance and an associated response, and the suitability ofselecting one response over another.

At block 706, a particular game/player circumstance is received. One ormore game states can be received from the game processor, and playerstates and attributes can be gathered in real time via user input andmachine observation, and from a maintained database of player attributes508.

At block 708, the received game/player circumstance is passed to anartificial intelligence (AI) engine.

At block 710, the AI engine determines a virtual dealer behavior that isan appropriate reaction to the received game/player circumstance.

At block 712, the determined virtual dealer behavior is executed.

Exemplary AI Engine

FIG. 8 shows an example set of circumstances 402 operated on by the AIengine 102 to select an intelligent reaction 406 for a virtual dealer106 from among multiple possible responses 404. The set ofcircumstances, or current stimuli 402, consist of game states 608 andplayer attributes 610. The AI engine 102, shown as an “AI layer” 102,applies the stored knowledge 408 and/or associations determined in realtime between the different types of current stimuli 402 to select a“best” gesture behavior and a “best” speech behavior from possiblegesture segments 504 and possible speech segments 506. In the shownscenario, Player 4 has previously indicated to a database of playerattributes 508 that he is a type of game player that plays for profit,not entertainment, and that he takes losing seriously. Player 3 is arelation of Player 4 and is also present at the same electronic gametable 100. The current stimuli 402 also contain input that the dealerhas just won a second consecutive Blackjack. The AI engine 102determines that the virtual dealer will display visuals that showconcern and sympathy, and in this case, will say nothing.

In one implementation, the virtual dealer frameworks 502 & 602 are fullyprogrammable with defaults and preferences. Because the virtual dealer106 emulates a live human host, and because most players have feelingstoward the money they bet, win, and lose, the virtual dealer 106 that isbased on artificial intelligence is preferably sensitive and discretewith players and their circumstances. A safe default in almost anycircumstance is for the virtual dealer 106 to say and do nothing.Silence and inaction of the virtual dealer 106 are generally preferableto the virtual dealer 106 saying something that offends or behavior andspeech that is unduly repetitive and therefore unrealistic with respectto emulating a human host. The threshold at which the virtual dealer 106speaks and acts is adjustable in the exemplary virtual dealer frameworks502 & 602. Likewise, speech and behavior quality control can beimplemented to assure that the associations made by the AI engine 102 togenerate appropriate responses are strong and dependable. The virtualdealer frameworks 502 & 602 can also be trained to a satisfactory levelbefore being released into a live gaming environment.

FIG. 9 shows exemplary knowledge 408 consisting of relationships betweengame states 608 and virtual dealer emotions/affects. The associationsbetween game states 608 and virtual dealer emotions may be weighted orotherwise characterized, to assist with decision-making processes. Forexample, an association may be marked in the knowledge 408 as weak,normal, strong, or forbidden. The associations may be tentatively placedor learned by the AI engine 102 and subject to change and development;or may be placed as an initial set of associations to give the AI engine102 a starting point; or may be hardwired as an initial set ofassociations that cannot be changed, but other associations can beformed around the initial set.

The shown tabular listing in FIG. 9 is only one way to arrangerelationships between stimuli and reactions. Moreover, the shown tabularlisting in FIG. 9 only depicts one type of relationship: between gamestates and possible emotions displayable by the virtual dealer 106. Manyother types of relationships can be simultaneously considered by the AIengine 102 in making a selection for a single speech or gesture behaviorof the virtual dealer 106. For example, besides consulting the shownknowledge 408 relating to game states and possible emotions, the AIengine 102 can also consult knowledge 408 related to game states andpossible gestures, game states and possible speech segments, emotionsand possible gestures, emotions and possible speech segments, and soforth. The knowledge 408 is thus used by the AI engine 102 indecision-making. The AI engine 102 may consult many such tables ofrelationships contained within the knowledge 408 in order to select avirtual dealer speech or behavior, and/or in order to set up variablesin the nodes of the neural network 604 for such decision-making.

In one implementation, the AI engine 102 can be based on an (artificial)neural network (ANN) 604. In one implementation, the neural network 604is a non-linear statistical data modeling and decision-making tool thatmodels complex relationships between inputs and outputs to find patternsin data. Similarly, the neural network 604 may also be applied in themachine perception engine 626 and the natural language processor 628. Inone implementation, the neural network 604 is based on statisticalestimation and may also apply control theory to optimize a bestintelligent reaction 406. The neural network 604 constitutesinterconnected nodes (network of artificial “neurons”) that use acomputational model that is based on the interconnection. The neuralnetwork 604 can adapt its interconnected structure based on the currentknowledge 408 and the current input, such as the current stimuli 402 andthe possible virtual dealer gestures 504 and possible virtual dealerspeech 506 represented in the network of nodes.

In a general sense, the neural network 604 infers a function, i.e., thevirtual dealer's best intelligent reaction 406, from current data andobservations. Depending on particular implementation of the AI engine102, the neural network 604 may also perform such functions as patternand sequence recognition, sequential decision-making, face and objectidentification and recognition, and sequence recognition to identifygestures and speech.

In one implementation, the neural network 604 applies Bayesian methods.A Bayesian network is a probabilistic graphical model that represents aset of variables and their probabilistic independencies. For example, aBayesian network can represent the probabilistic relationships between aset of current stimuli 402 and various intelligent reactions 406. Givengame states 608 and player attributes 610, the neural network 604 cancompute the probabilities of various possible gestures 504 and speechcontents 506 to select a best intelligent reaction 406.

The Bayesian network may be a directed acyclic graph with nodes thatrepresent variables, and arcs that encode conditional independenciesbetween the variables. Nodes can represent many kinds of variables,e.g., a measured parameter, a latent variable, or a hypothesis. Knowntechniques perform efficient inference and learning in Bayesiannetworks. A dynamic Bayesian implementation of the neural network 604models sequences of variables, for example, the player attributes 610and game state 608 (or if used in the natural language processor 628,the speech signals).

In one implementation, the neural network is Bayesian and can determineupdated knowledge 408 of the state of a subset of variables when othervariables from the player attributes queue 610 and the game state queue608 are observed. The neural network 604 can use probabilistic inferenceto compute the posterior distribution of variables given new currentstimuli 402. The posterior gives a statistic for minimizing theprobability of decision error.

The AI engine 102 may be trained based on input, including playerattributes 610 derived from database or observation, game states 608,possible gestures 504, and possible speech contents 506. Using theinput, the AI engine 102 may implement an iterative training process.Training can be based on different learning rules and trainingtechniques. Example learning techniques include back propagation,interpolation, application of weighted sums, real time recurrentlearning, pattern learning, temporal difference learning, etc.

The AI engine 102 may learn to modify the behavior of the virtual dealer106 in response to changes in the game environment. Knowledge 408assists the AI engine 102 to determine an appropriate response to newcurrent stimuli 402. For example, the knowledge 408 may representrelationships between particular stimuli 402 and possible intelligentreactions 406. Since the AI engine 102 may learn to modify the behaviorof the virtual dealer 106, relationships for a comprehensive set ofcurrent stimuli 402 and associated intelligent reactions 406 do not haveto be stored and updated by the AI engine 102 or other parts of thevirtual dealer framework 602. The AI engine 102 may adaptively select anintelligent reaction 406 for which a relationship with a set ofassociated current stimuli 402 is not stored.

The database of possible gestures 504 and the database of possiblespeech contents 506 may be maintained by the AI engine 102 or may beupdated by a service provider. Thus, a support service may periodicallyreinvigorate the virtual dealer 106 with innovative new speech andbehaviors, or the virtual dealer framework itself 602 may arrive at newintelligent reactions 406.

Alternative Implementations

A virtual player 302 (or bystander) based on artificial intelligence canbe used in addition to the virtual dealer 106, as shown in FIG. 3. Thepresence of a virtual player 302, whether presented on a video display108 or cast as a hologram 202, opens new possibilities. Instead ofrelying on a monologue when the virtual dealer 106 explains a rule ofthe game or tells a story, the presence of the virtual player 302 allowsinformation to be passed to the players via a dialogue between thevirtual dealer 106 and the virtual player 302, over which the virtualdealer frameworks 502 & 602 have complete control. In other words,imparting information by a dialogue between the virtual dealer 106 and areal player runs certain risks. The real player may be unresponsive ormay sidetrack the dialogue with a typical questions or responses.

For performing entertainment, the presence of the virtual player 302allows a brief skit, joke, chip trick, card trick, etc., involving twopeople to be performed with perfect execution between the virtual dealer106 and the virtual player 302. That is, the virtual dealer 106 andvirtual player 302 can be programmed to perform without the possibilityof human intervention that could introduce an embarrassing mistake ormisstep.

Likewise, the virtual player 302 can model how to interact with thevirtual dealer 106. The real players only need imitate the virtualplayer 302 to fully connect with the virtual dealer 106. Even withoutpresence of the virtual dealer 106, a virtual player 302 animated byartificial intelligence can model how to play the game, so that newplayers only need to follow the lead and verbal tips from the virtualplayer 302.

In another alternative implementation, the virtual dealer frameworks 502& 602 are used to animate a virtual bartender instead of a virtual gamedealer. Not all jurisdictions allow a nonhuman drink host. In oneimplementation, the virtual bartender converses with a client andaccepts some drink orders verbally. A verbal drink order is typicallyverified by additional queries that repeat back the order or part of anorder to make sure it was heard correctly. In one implementation, drinkorders can also be entered by user interface, such as a touch screendisplay. In one implementation, a breathalyzer is added to the virtualdealer frameworks 502 & 602 and orders subjected to breathalyzer input.

Example Electronic Game Tables

FIG. 10 shows an example layout of an electronic game table 1000. Theillustrated example game table 1000 has an arbitrary size that in shownversion seats eight participants maximum. Other implementations can seata different number of participants. The game table 1000 has a userinterface for each participant, i.e., participant user interfaces 1002,1004, 1006, 1008, 1010, 1012, 1014, and 1016. A participant's userinterface 1002 may consist of an electronic display for presentingvisual images and may further consist of a touch screen display forinteractive capability. Depending upon implementation, each participantuser interface 1002 may also include various other forms of interactiveinterface, such as pointing devices, light sensors, wagering chipsensors, audio speakers, etc.

The illustrated example game table 1000 may also include a commondisplay 1018 in the center of the game table 1000, for presenting visualinformation to all participants. The common display(s) 1018 may presentgeneral information redundantly in two, four, or more visualorientations so that the displayed information is oriented correctly foreach participant.

The example electronic game table 1000 of FIG. 10 has an example layoutthat is useful for unhosted card games, although using a live dealer atgame table 1000 is not ruled out. The example game table 1000 as showntypically uses virtual playing cards and virtual chips. However, thegame table 1000 can be configured to use any combination of real playingcards, virtual playing cards, real wagering chips, and/or virtual gamingchips. When real playing cards are used, a live shoe that reads theidentity of each card sends the card identity information to theelectronic processor (not shown) that runs the game. When real wageringchips are used, light sensors, optical sensors, scanning technology,weigh cells, RFID technology, etc., may be used with speciallyconstructed chips or conventional standard chips to sense chip presenceand chip values.

FIG. 11 shows another example layout of an electronic game table 100. Inthe illustrated example game table 100, multiple user interfaces 1102,1104, 1106, 1108, 1110, and 1112 form a semi-circular array for seatingparticipants. The participant user interfaces may consist of electronicvisual displays with touch screen capability or other forms of userinterface. The example game table 100 is shaped to accommodate a virtualdealer 106 on the opposing side of the semi-circular array. When theexample game table 100 is not hosted, a common display 1114 can beincluded on the side opposing the participants' semi-circle.

FIG. 12 shows an example game processing system 1200 that can beincluded in game tables, such as in the game tabletops for electronicgame tables 800 and 100. The illustrated configuration of the exemplarygame processing system 1200 is meant to provide only one examplearrangement for the sake of overview. Many other arrangements of theillustrated components, or similar components, are possible within thescope of the subject matter. Such an exemplary game processing system1200 can be executed in hardware, or combinations of hardware, software,firmware, etc.

The exemplary game processing system 1200 includes a computing device104, which may be a desktop, server, or notebook style computer, orother device that has processor, memory, and data storage. The computingdevice 104 thus includes a processor 1202, memory 1204, data storage1206; and interface(s) 1208 to communicatively couple with theparticipant “1” user interface 802, the participant “2” user interface804, . . . , and the participant “N” user interface 1210. The gameprocessing system 1200 includes a gaming engine 614, and game rules 616,shown as software loaded into memory 1204. In one implementation,components of the virtual dealer frameworks 502 & 602 may also be loadedinto the same memory 1204.

The interfaces 1208 can be one or more hardware components that drivethe visual displays and communicate with the interactive components,e.g., touch screen displays, of the multiple participant user interfaces802, 804, . . . , 1210.

Conclusion

Although exemplary systems have been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms ofimplementing the claimed systems, methods, and structures.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system for gaming comprising: a videodisplay; player sensors including a directional microphone for detectinginput from players proximate to the system; a natural language processorconfigured to identify words detected from players via a player sensor;a circumstances inventory (CI) engine that includes a game states queueand a player attributes queue, and wherein the CI engine is programmedwith instructions to collect current game states and player states forthe game states queue and the player attributes queue, respectively; asocial intelligence engine including an emotional state interpreterconfigured to process information from the player sensors and naturallanguage processor about respective players and pass processedinformation to the player attributes queue based on informationcorresponding to each identified player; an artificial intelligenceengine suitable for receiving data from and configured to be incommunication with the CI engine, the data representing standard gamestates from an electronic game table, wherein the artificialintelligence engine is configured with instructions to: associate thestandard game states with possible virtual assistant reactions, and savethe associations as knowledge; and create virtual assistant interactionsin real time by selecting a virtual assistant reaction; and a virtualassistant projector configured with instructions to display an automatedvirtual assistant on the video display based on at least one of thevirtual assistant interactions, and wherein the virtual assistant isprojected based on the selected virtual assistant reaction, and whereinthe virtual assistant projector is further configured with possiblevirtual assistant emotions for the virtual assistant reaction, andwherein the artificial intelligence engine is configured withinstructions to: create associations between game states and virtualassistant emotions, select an emotion for the virtual assistantprojector to display for the virtual assistant interactions, and provideconversational dialogue using the selected emotion.
 2. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the standard game states received by the artificialintelligence engine have been formatted by the electronic game table toprovide a textual visual display or a non-speech audio display.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein computer processing of the system isoperationally and communicatively isolated from a main game engine ofthe electronic game table.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the systemfunctions as an accessory user interface or projection device for thestandard game states of an electronic game.
 5. The system of claim 1,further comprising a device driver to signal the virtual assistantprojector based on output from the artificial intelligence engine. 6.The system of claim 1, further comprising a modular packaging forretrofitting the system as an accessory near the electronic game table.7. The system of claim 1, wherein the automated virtual assistantfunctions as an animated bystander accessory for presenting informationbased on game state information and output from the artificialintelligence engine, wherein the game state information output from theartificial intelligence engine is conventionally displayable.
 8. Thesystem of claim 1, the system further comprising: a queue prioritizerprogrammed with instructions to reorder contents of the game statesqueue and reorder the contents of the player attributes queue based onan importance assigned by the CI engine to each of the entries in therespective queues, and wherein the system is programmed withinstructions to use a game state and a player state based on thereordering as the artificial intelligence engine interacts in real timewith the virtual assistant projector.
 9. The system of claim 1, andwherein the associations are weighted based on a determination by theartificial intelligence engine, wherein the weighting is for selectingin real time one virtual assistant emotion by the artificialintelligence engine.
 10. The system of claim 9, and wherein the virtualassistant projector is programmed with default behaviors for the virtualassistant, and wherein an appearance attribute of the virtual assistantchanges depending on content of a player's conversation with the virtualassistant.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the system furthercomprises: a social intelligence engine configured to communicate withthe CI engine, and wherein the social intelligence engine is programmedwith instructions to assign a virtual assistant emotion to a meaning;and wherein the social intelligence engine includes an emotional stateinterpreter programmed to use a human emotions model to identify andselect a player state.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the artificialintelligence engine is programmed with instructions to apply a controltheory to identify a virtual assistant reaction for the virtualassistant projector.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein a virtualassistant reaction includes one or more of an emotion, a speech segment,a video segment, a gesture and a character attribute.
 14. The system ofclaim 13, and wherein the artificial intelligence engine identifies apersonalized virtual assistant reaction for a player based oninformation derived from a player identifier detected and recognized atthe electronic game table, and wherein the player identifier iscorrelated with a previous player identifier detected and recognized ata game played at another electronic game table at a previous time. 15.The system of claim 1, and wherein the virtual assistant projector isconfigured with instructions to display a virtual player in addition tothe virtual assistant, and wherein the system provides a tutorial abouta game at the electronic game table by presenting a dialogue between thevirtual assistant and the virtual player.
 16. The system of claim 1, andwherein the artificial intelligence engine includes a machine perceptionengine, and wherein the machine perception engine is configured withinstructions to assist in identifying a player state, and wherein thenatural language processor is configured with instructions to assist inidentifying a player state.
 17. The system of claim 1, and wherein thevirtual assistant projector includes a character engine, and wherein theartificial intelligence engine is configured with instructions toidentify a second persona for the virtual assistant, and wherein theartificial intelligence engine causes the virtual assistant projector todisplay aspects of the second persona for the virtual assistant based ona game state or a player state, and wherein said displaying aspects ofthe second persona includes execution of instructions by the characterengine.
 18. The system of claim 17, and wherein the character engineexecutes instructions that change a speaking style of the virtualassistant.
 19. The system of claim 17, and wherein the artificialintelligence engine is configured with instructions to cause the secondpersona to be adopted after the artificial intelligence engine detectsand recognizes at least a threshold number of trigger words spoken by aplayer in proximity to the electronic game table.
 20. The system ofclaim 17, and wherein the system includes a directional microphone forreceiving sounds from a player, and wherein the virtual assistantprojector is configured with instructions to change an appearance, astyle, a verbal tone or a verbal content of the virtual dealer inresponse to a signal sent by the artificial intelligence engine to thevirtual assistant projector based on detection and identification by theartificial intelligence engine of a player's speech received at thedirectional microphone.
 21. The system of claim 1, and wherein thesystem further comprises a sensed input interpreter that is programmedwith instructions to assign a meaning to a raw sensory input capturedfrom a player sensor, and wherein a meaning include a symbolcorresponding to one of a plurality of emotions.
 22. The system of claim1, and wherein the artificial intelligence engine is configured withinstructions to detect a request from a player for advice, andinstructions for executing by the system an advice giving mode afterdetecting the request for advice.
 23. The system of claim 1, and whereinthe system is configured with instructions to receive, store and indexfurther virtual assistant behaviors while the system is operating so asto enable the system to access and execute the further virtual assistantbehaviors thereby providing new behaviors for viewing by a player at theelectronic game table.
 24. The system of claim 1, and wherein the systemis further configured with instructions for presenting a greeting usinga name of a player upon detecting an identity of the player based oninformation derived from data read from an identity card at theelectronic game table.
 25. The system of claim 1, and wherein the systemis further configured with instructions for engaging in a dialogue witha player using information derived from a game session in which theplayer participated, the game session occurring in a different time andat a different location relative to an instant game session at theelectronic game table.
 26. The system of claim 1, wherein theconversational dialogue is unrelated to the game and is personalized toa first player based on a player attribute of a second player.
 27. Anapparatus comprising: an audio-video display; a support for supportingand mounted to the audio-video display and for placing the audio-videodisplay in a standalone position near an electronic game; acircumstances inventory (CI) engine for receiving and recognizing outputfrom the electronic game, and wherein the output includes a game stateand a player state, and wherein the CI engine includes a game statesqueue and a player attributes queue, and wherein the CI engine isprogrammed with instructions to collect current game states and playerstates for the game states queue and the player attributes queue,respectively, as the electronic game operates; player sensors fordetecting input from players proximate to the apparatus, and wherein theplayer sensors include a keypad for each player; a natural languageprocessor configured to identify words detected from players via aplayer sensor; a social intelligence engine including an emotional stateinterpreter configured to process information from the player sensorsand natural language processor about respective players and passprocessed information to the player attributes queue based oninformation corresponding to each identified player; an artificialintelligence engine configured with instructions: to associate a portionof the output with possible virtual assistant reactions, the possiblevirtual assistant reactions including visual gestures and audio speechcontent and an emotion from a collection of possible emotions, and tosave in a database the associations as knowledge for creating virtualassistant interactions in real time as the electronic game operates, thevirtual assistant interactions including one of the possible virtualassistant reactions; and a virtual assistant projector to animate anautomated virtual assistant on the audio-video display with the virtualassistant interactions, and wherein the virtual assistant projectorincludes an emotion engine configured with instructions to renderemotions of selected virtual assistant reactions as the electronic gameoperates, and wherein the virtual assistant projector is configured toprovide conversational dialogue using the rendered emotions.
 28. Theapparatus of claim 27, wherein the apparatus is configured withinstructions for receiving one-way communication from the electronicgame and does not communicate back to the electronic game.
 29. Theapparatus of claim 27, wherein the artificial intelligence engine isfurther configured with instructions to translate game states and gameoutcomes into virtual human behaviors and virtual human speech of avirtual human bystander, and wherein the apparatus is further configuredwith instructions to present the virtual human bystander with thevirtual assistant behaviors and virtual assistant speech as theelectronic game executes, the behaviors and speech based on at least thegame states.
 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the virtual humanbystander speaks or acts information from the game output includingwelcomes, rules, instructions, wagering limits, or outcomes.
 31. Theapparatus of claim 29, further comprising a customizable billboard,background, foreground, or artifact to be displayed with the virtualhuman bystander.
 32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the artificialintelligence engine is programmed with instructions to respond to playerdecisions and interactions, and translate responses to the playerdecisions and interactions into animated behavior and animated speechfor the virtual human bystander.